Contact Newsletter

April 2011 - Volume 35 No. 2

In this Issue

• Upcoming NSERC deadlines
• Discovery Grants results
• Scholarships acceptance deadline May 2
• NSERC and CIHR sodium reduction initiative applications now open
• Consultations postponed on the Tri-Agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research 
• Videos provide tips for better applications
• InPartnership newsletter focuses on industry collaboration

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Upcoming NSERC deadlines

Discovery Grants results

The 2011 Discovery Grants competition has concluded, with applicants notified of their results in late March. A public announcement is expected to take place later this spring. Competition statistics will also be posted later, and will be accessible through the new Discovery Grants Information Centre—a section of NSERC’s Web site that provides centralized access to information related to the Discovery Grants Program. This section will be expanded in the coming months, with additional material to include videos and a more extensive series of questions and answers.

Scholarships acceptance deadline May 2

Applicants in NSERC’s scholarships and fellowships competitions were notified of their results in late March. NSERC’s procedures have changed this year and successful applicants are now required to accept or decline their award no later than May 2. Awards that are not accepted will be offered by June 1 to applicants on a list of alternates.

NSERC and CIHR sodium reduction initiative applications now open

NSERC and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) launched the NSERC and CIHR Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes Funding Initiative for Sodium Reduction in the Canadian Food Supply in March. With funding from NSERC’s Collaborative Research and Development Grants Program and CIHR’s Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes (INMD), the initiative will require a Canadian-based industry partner and will focus on some of the key research issues identified in the July 2010 report issued by Health Canada’s Sodium Working Group:

• Investigate alternative processes or technologies that meet the microbial food safety and food technology needs at lower levels of sodium without unduly increasing cost
• Determine the microbial food safety consequences of decreasing the sodium concentration in foods and how to manage these effectively
• Investigate the effectiveness, potential risks and benefits of alternatives to salt and sodium-based food ingredients from a technology and/or food safety perspective
• Determine the physiological mechanisms of taste perception affected by sodium, including the modifying effects of different food matrices

Consultations postponed on the Tri-Agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research

The recently announced consultations on the Tri-Agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research are on hold until further notice.

Videos provide tips for better applications

Four new videos being produced by NSERC will expand the range of information available to applicants for NSERC’s Discovery Grants, scholarships and fellowships. Two of the videos feature interviews with members of the Discovery Grants Evaluation Groups and the scholarships and fellowships selection committees, who offer tips on writing a better application. The other two videos provide details about the evaluation process for applications, which culminates in February when NSERC’s peer review committees meet. All four videos are expected to be posted on NSERC’s Web site in May.

InPartnership newsletter focuses on industry collaboration

In addition to the Contact newsletter, NSERC publishes InPartnership, a bi-monthly newsletter focused on collaborative research between post-secondary institutions and industry. Content includes news about programs, tips and success stories. The newsletter is geared towards an industry audience, but is also of interest to academic researchers involved in or considering partnering with the private sector.
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